As the World Ends (3 page)

“This is only day one, Roan. Get your act together. Maybe I should have gone after Cathy.”

Normally, he took solace in the quiet when he visited the different caves, but tonight the silence loudly echoed off the cave walls. Reaching for his radio he turned to the emergency broadcast channel, hoping for an update on today’s events. Praying his license plate number or his name weren’t being broadcasted all over the radio. He fidgeted with the dials only to hear static. Every station he tried only had white noise on it. It finally dawned on him that the radio towers and/or satellites could be off-line. Hopefully in the morning the problem would be fixed. If not he would try the radio outside the cave. Maybe the iron ore was what was interfering with the reception.

Fear settled in him as fog settled on the night air, uneasy, thick and foreboding. Since childhood, dread filled him every time he was left alone for long periods of time. A punishment his mother dished out often. He would never admit that he was a coward. However, most considered him a bully.

Rocks skittered, pinging off of the cavern walls, waking Roan with a start several hours later. Fear—his fear permeated the air.
Damn, if I can smell it so can the predator.
Swiping his hand along the ground until he found his gun, Roan concentrated on the sounds around him. Checking the magazine, knowing it was loaded, lowered his anxiety level. Ready. Killing the lights next to his head, he crawled close to the walls, hugging them, so he made a smaller target. The noise got louder and closer, seeming more ominous in the dark. He held the small flashlight over his gun with his arms extended, ready to take the shot.
Christ, it sounded like footsteps. Relax. It could just be a small animal
. Sweat poured down his forehead into his eyes, blurring his vision. Balancing the flashlight away from his face, he wiped the sweat away with his sleeve.

Gravel crunched, rocks collided, and the steps grew closer and louder until…

They reached the cave around midnight. “Shush,” Rob hissed.

“What?”

“Shut up. I think someone’s in there. Stay behind me,” he ordered.

Rob had his gun out and the flashlight lit, lighting the entrance to the cave as they waited out the noise.

“How do you know?”

“These footprints are fresh, and I thought I heard a noise a minute ago. Maybe we should sleep in the car tonight and explore the caves tomorrow.”

“You’re scaring me, Rob.”

“I hate to admit it, but I’m scared too.”

“Okay, let’s go back to the truck…” Lauren stopped talking when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and then dead silence.

“Oh, my God, Rob,” she whispered.

“Keep quiet. Let’s move to the tree line and wait out whoever it is. It’ll give us the advantage. Don’t speak,” he whispered. Turning off his flashlight, they walked to the tree line in unison.

Shaking uncontrollably, she gripped his arm and squeezed hard. Unable to stop it, she was happy when Rob took her in his arms and held tight, putting his mouth right up against her left ear.

“I’m right here with you, Lauren, you have to try to relax. Stay behind me, okay? I promise I’ll protect you.”

Nodding her head, she pulled him back to her as he started to release her.

“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered into her hair. Releasing her, he pushed her gently down to the ground. “Get comfortable, it’s going to be a long night.”

He was so tuned into her and though she barely spoke, he heard her, “Rob…”

“What?” he asked, impatiently.

“No matter what, I love you.”

“I know,” he said, quietly.

Silence. Roan strained to hear. Disappointed in the quiet, he wondered.
Did I imagine the noise?

“No, I didn’t.” He didn’t realize he had spoken out loud until he heard his own voice echo back.
Shit, I’m gonna get myself killed if I don’t keep quiet
.

Lowering to the floor, gun on his lap, he sat cross-legged for three hours without moving a muscle. Not one sound out of the ordinary. Either the other person was just as disciplined or it was an animal he had startled. He needed to go out there and take a piss soon, or it was going to be an uncomfortable night.

As he started to unwind his legs he knocked over his flashlight. “Shit.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Outside, Rob had the same idea. Hungry, his neck and back stiff, he watched Lauren sleep. Regretting that he’d have to wake her up soon and keep her quiet at the same time. Rob calculated his odds. The noise he’d heard wasn’t from any animal. Though no one, man or animal had left the cave in the last three hours. With his hands on Lauren, ready to shake her awake, he heard the noise again followed by a curse.

Definitely man not beast, he raised his gun aiming directly at the cave’s entrance.

Eerily quiet. Roan listened intently. Sure another human being was out there though it was his instincts that told him so. A patient man, he’d wait him out. Somehow, he’d misplaced his flashlight—he fumbled around on the ground until he located it. Slowly, he wrapped his shirt over the end of it and turned it on to reestablish his bearings. Taking a deep breath, he pointed it at the ground as he worked his way to the entrance. Just inside the opening, he stood to the right and listened.
I’m living in the Twilight Zone
. He snickered at the absurdity of his thoughts.

Shit! Why couldn’t the cave have a back entrance?
This cave had always been a sanctuary for him, but right at this moment, it was a prison. Trapping him, making him a target for whoever was out there.

Aggravated for not safe-guarding the area, or putting traps around to sound a warning if someone or something got too close, he realized the enormity of his error. No matter how much he had tried or thought he was ready for this event. Now with a clarity that frightened him. Roan understood his naiveness.
I’m a damn weekend warrior, nothing more.

He removed the bottom of his shirt from over the flashlight, giving him full light as he left the cave to head into the woods. A rustling in the branches brought him up short.

Lauren stirred and Rob quickly dropped down beside her, roughly putting his hand over her mouth. In a panic, she fought back. As she trashed around, he jumped on top of her, pinning her to the ground. He whispered into her ear.

“Keep quiet for God’s sake, Lauren.”

She went still at the sound of Rob’s voice. He hadn’t removed his hand yet.

“There’s someone out there. He just left the cave, so don’t talk,” he emphasized. “Do you understand?”

She went to speak, but only nodded her head. Rob released his hand even as he stayed on top of her. Lauren pushed at him. Realizing his weight crushed her, he moved to the side to let her breathe.

Slowly removing his hand from Lauren’s mouth, he listened. With his eyes on the spot where he had last seen the guy, Rob raised his gun. The flashlight in the man’s hand at least gave Rob the position of the target, but now he was gone. Sweat pooled on Rob’s back as he tried to quiet his mind along with the fear that filled it. Had the man moved? How could he protect Lauren if he didn’t know where the man skittered off to?

Lauren really had to pee.
If Rob doesn’t let me move soon, I’ll wet myself
. The fear she heard in his voice scared her enough not to move. On her neck his warm breath hissed at a rapid pace while his heart pounded against her chest. In the last twenty-four hours their lives had changed so drastically. One minute, they were getting ready to make love…and now, now she lay on the wet grass, as they hid from a stranger. Not knowing if their lives depended on it.